President Lungu advised to revise the K75,000 nomination fees

Opposition Green Party (GP ) Peter Sinkamba has appealed to Republican President to revise the nomination fees of Presidential candidates.

Reacting to the Electoral Commission of Zambia ( ECZ ) ‘s announcement of the nomination fees for Presidential, Parliamentary , Town Mayor , District Chairperson and Councillor alike, Mr. Sinkamba says the nomination fees need to be revised as they are outrageous.

We are extremely disappointed with the Electoral Commission of Zambia for abnormally increasing the nomination fees for presidential, parliamentary and ward elections, he has said on his Facebook blog.

He explained that the increase is against government’s pro-poor policies to capitalist policies which will make leadership positions to be a preserve for the rich.

“ Whilst I can afford to pay for my presidential nomination fees, I find this measure extremely ridiculous because it bars rural populations from participating in governance systems.

“ It is a very sad development for the country, especially for rural constituencies and wards where 80 percent of the people live in abject poverty. It will be literary impossible for most rural candidates to afford these fees, “ he said.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia ( ECZ ) Wednesday February 4, 2016, increased the nomination fees for the August 11, 2016 general elections.

ECZ Chairperson Justice Esau Chulu this week revealed that his Commission has increased the nomination fees for Presidential Candidates at K75, 000 while that for parliamentary candidates is now at K 10, 000.

The Mayoral Candidates and that of Council Chairperson will be required to pay a nomination fee of K 10, 000 and K 5000, respectively.

Justice Chulu added that for Councillors in City Councils and Municipals , the candidates would pay a nomination fee of K 2000 while their colleagues in rural councils will pay K 1, 500.

All aspiring candidates will be required to make a 50 percent non-refundable down payment for them to be included on the nomination calendar, said the ECZ Chairperson.